Clamp for paper-cutters.



C. SEYBOLD.

' CLAMP FOR PAPER UUTTERS.

APPLICATION FILED nno. 21, 1906. nnnnwnn NOV. 19, 1908. 91 1,337.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

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Specification of LettersPatent. Application filed December 21, 1905, Serial N 0. 292,816. Renewed N ovember'19,

Patented Feb. 2, 1909-. 1908; Serial N0. 46$,91.

To all whom z'tmay concern;

Be it known that 1, CHARLES SEYBOLD, a citizen of the United. States, residing in Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clamps for Paper-Cutters, of which the-following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisvspecification.

My invention relates to clamps such as are employed for clamping and holding rigid piles or bundles of paper stock when submitted to the action of the cutting, knives in paper cutting and book trimming machines, and the purpose of invention is to provide a clamp that shall be sufiiciently flexible to conform to inequalities of each paper pile, in order that a uniform clamping pressure may be maintained throughout the cutting operation, and in addition that this proper pressure may be obtained with a minimum expenditure of power.

Great difliculty is experienced in cutting and trimming piles of paper owing tothe liability and tendency of the paper stock to slip and shift its position under the cutting strain. No two piles of paper of the same number of sheets and of the same grade of paper will be exactly uni-form, In fact, no single sheet ofpaper is of precisely uniform thickness throughout; slight variations in thickness necessarily result from the methods of manufacturing paper, and as a result when piled in packages, not only will each package-vary from its companion package in compressibility," but every package in itself will exhibit similar inequalites throughout its mass. .One package will be more solid or thicker at one edge and more spongy, or soft, at the other edge, the next package will be hard and in-compressible at the middle, and-sof.t at the ends, the next will alternate in spots of hardness and softness. When such packages are submitted to paper cutting machines, the clamps necessarily fail to obtain a uniform grasp on the paper; if the paper slips, the only remedy heretofore has been to apply more pressure and to attempt by this increased compression to hold the entire package rigid. This additional clamping power, however, frequently fails because the two membersof the clamps have parallel surfaces and the true surface of the paper pile when rigidly compressed may be slightly convex, slightly 1 construction of clamp to be hereinafter particularly pointed out and claimed, whereby the clamp may be rendered sufliciently flexible, while still maintaining a true cutting edge, to conform to the true surface of the package when rigidly compressed, so that any liability to slip under the cutting strain maybe entirely overcome.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lower end of the clamp, broken away at the middle. Fig. 2 is a cross section of same on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig; l.

I have not thought it necessary to illustrate a paper cutting machine, nor any method of operating the clamp, as the invention may be applied to any construction of machine, and regardless of the method of operating the clamp, and I have assumed the opposing clamp member to be the usual table, or solidfiat surface upon which the piles of paper to be cut or trimmed. are placed. 7 y

1 is lower end of a metallic clamping bar, such as is usually employed in paper cutting machines. This bar is cut out lengthwise or formed with a tenon 4 to receive the side flanges 2, 2 of a U-shaped metallic plate, the base 3 of which forms the contacting surface for the clamp, and this contact plate is secured to the tenon 4 of the clamp by a convenient number of screws or pins 5, 5. To permit sufficient play for the contact plate,

as hereinafter described, the screw openings through the clamp bar are formed as vertical slots, shown by the dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3 and a space 6, 6 is left between the upper surfaces of the flanges of the contact plate and the shoulders on the clamp bar. Inserted in the space between the clamp bar and the base and flanges'of the contact plate 3 are a series of blocks 7., 7 of resilient material, preferably of hard rubber, but sufficiently rigid togive only under considerable pressure. To permit vertical compression, however, a small space 8, 8 is left between each'block. With the exception of these spaces the blocks fill-in the entire length of the clamp, and are held spaced apart either by tightness of fit or other convenient means,

and they are blocked at the ends by end plates 9, 9 secured over the ends of the coin tact plate 3. The flanges 2, 2 are formed with slots 10, 10, cut down preferably to the base of the contact plate to permit the plate to bend with the compression of the resilient blocks 7, 7.

The operation of the clamp will be obvious from the foregoing description. As the clamp member is brought to bear on the pa per pile, the resilient cushion between the contact plate and the rigid body of the clamp will give at the most rigid points of the paper pile and the contact plate will bend at these points to permit the equalization of the clamping pressure throughout the entire length of the pile. Thus every portion of the pile will be held rigid and with the expenditure of very much less power than has heretofore been required with a rigid clamp, which rigid clamp even with all the power that can be applied must of necessity work inaccurately as above explained.

Of course, it will be understood that the construction illustrated for sustaining my flexible contact plate in place, the particular construction of the plate itself, the mortise and tenon construction for obtaining a flush and finished appearance, and the employment of blocks of hard rubber as the resilient cushion, are not the essentials of my invention, any or all of which constructions may be modified in various ways, Without departing from the spirit of my invention, which, in its essence, may be said to reside in providing for the ordinary, well-known clamping bar, a contact plate, with a resilient cushion of hard. rubber, springs, or the like, interposed between the plate and bar, whereby the plate may be adapted to bend to conform to the varying conditions in the compressibility of the piles of paper submitted to the clamping pressure.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A clamp for paper cutters, comprising a clamping bar, and a flexible contact plate, with a resilient cushion interposed between the plate and bar, whereby the plate may be adapted to bend under pressure.

2. In a clamp for paper cutters, a clamping bar, and a flexible contact plate, suspended therefrom, with a cushion of suitable resilient material interposed between the plate and bar, whereby the plate may be adapted to bend under pressure.

clamp. so that. the clamp 3. In a clamp for paper cutters, a clamp ing bar, and a flexible contact plate suspended therefrom, vith a series of blocks of resilient material interposed between the plate and bar, whereby the plate may be adapted to bend under pressure.

4. In a clamp for paper cutters, av clamping bar, and a flanged plate suspended there from, a series of blocks of resilient material interposed between the plate and bar, with slots in the flanges of the plate to increase the flexibility of the plate under pressure.

In a clamp for paper cutters. a clamping bar, a flanged plate suspended therefrom, a series of blocks of resilient material. inter posed between the plate and bar, with transverse slots in the flanges of the plate to the base of the plate to increase its flexibility under pressure.

6. In a clamp for paper cutters, a clamping bar, a. flexible contact plate suspended therefrom, and a series of blocks of hard rubber interposed between the plate and bar, whereby the plate may be adapted to bend under pressure.

T. In. av clamp for paper cutters, a clamping bar, and a contact plate provided with side flanges, with said flanges loosely suspended from the bar, a series of blocks of hard rubber interposed between the base of said plate and clamp bar to receive the clamping pressure, with transverse slots in said side flanges to permit the contact plate to bend under compression.

8. A clamp for paper cutters, comprising a clamp bar, provided with a contact member constructed to bend throughout its length under the compression strain of the member may conform to the surface of the package under compression.

9. A clamp for paper cutters, comprising a clamping bar, a flexible contact member, 'with means for supporting the contact memher on the clamp bar and out of close contact therewith when bending under pressure.

10. In a. clamp for paper cutters, a. clamp bar, having a contact face constructed to flex throughout its length to adapt itself to the inequalities of the thickness of the package under compression, substantially as described.

CHARLES SEYBOLD.

Witnesses FRANK H. innns'r, RnssnLL G. NILES. 

